PRESS
RELEASE
October 19, 2017
Media Contact:
Anju Bhargava anju@hinduamericanseva.org
Washington, D.C. October 19, 2017: Hindu American Seva
Communities (HASC) wishes all a Happy and Shubh Deepavali. On this auspicious day, we are pleased to
announce the launch of a new seva initiative, Project
Light A Home,
for homes in need at US Virgin Island and Puerto Rico. Project Light A Home is a partnership with
Interfaith Assembly on Homelessness and Housing and collaboration with the Sai
Center and United Way in the Virgin Islands and the United Clergy Task Force in
Puerto Rico.
Today millions of Hindu and Dharmic communities are celebrating
the triumph of good over evil, light over darkness, and knowledge over
ignorance. As we light the lamps in our
homes and our hearts, let us bring light to our communities. Deepavali means a
row of lamps and the message is move away from darkness towards light of Jnana
(knowledge). The path of service or seva
is an important path to achieve this ultimate goal of life. We invite you to journey with us.
We seek your help to provide light this Diwali to homes and
families currently without power due to the recent Hurricanes’ Irma and Maria. Two weeks after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto
Rico, ninety percent of Puerto Rico remains
without power. With the island’s power grid in shambles, authorities estimate
months before full power is restored. On St. John of the Virgin Islands, the
island remains without power. St. Thomas has only about 15% of power restored but only in its
downtown. On
St. Thomas and St. Croix, power has returned only to critical facilities such
as hospitals, airports, and shelters. Residential areas continue to struggle as
restoring power can take months and even a year. As Chirag R. and Ashwin C.,
two college students and residents of USVI, write in their Letter of Appeal, solar lights can help
solve the issue of electricity temporarily without the hassle of finding
batteries. We’ve identified the Solar Helix Bright White Lantern by
Solight-Design to assist those without power so that those affected have one
less thing to worry about.
Join us in this Light A Home Campaign this Diwali to bring a
Solar Lantern to each home. Each Solar Lantern costs $10 and our goal is to
raise $20,000 to light 1,000 homes in the Virgin Islands and 1,000 in Puerto
Rico. After we finish this Phase I of raising these funds, we move to Phase II
of distribution to distribute the Solar Lanterns home to home.
All donations will directly go to buying the lantern.
Om. Asato ma sat gamaya From Unreal lead me to the Real
Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya From
Darkness lead me to Light
Mrityor ma amritam gamaya From
Death lead me to Immortality
Om. Shantih, Shantih,
Shantih Om,
Peace, Peace, Peace
Brhadarnyaka
Upanishad
http://projectlightahome.weebly.com/
